If you wish to apologise or register a Leave of Absence Request, please use the links below. Any problems please use contact form and emails will be forwarded. Remember absences need to be submitted before 6 pm on Thursday to be credited. LOA's require board approval

Pat asked the new board if they could stay afterwards for a quick meeting.

Ian The K Valley Planting Day is on Saturday 19 May, from 10am-12pm. Assemble at Marshalls Ave, and bring gloves, gumboots and a spade.

Roberta appealed to all members, but particularly incoming board members to attend RLI which is on the weekend of 9/10 June in Matamata.

Warwick suggested members would be able to fill their Rotary coffee collection cups with money if they just skipped their morning coffee over the next week.

Pat reminded members to book for ‘Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner’ which will be on Saturday 26 May or Saturday 9 June. The suggested donation is $30 per head, however, any donation will be gratefully accepted, and should be handed in an envelope to the host. If you haven’t already done so please let Michele Beaton know if you want to join us in this fun event for a worthy cause - michele@learningjourneys.co.nz.

Guest speaker

Peter Watson is the Western Bay of Plenty District Council Reserves and Facilities Manager and has several long service commendations including a Ministerial Long Service Award for his 24 years contribution to Civil Defence.

In 2014, the Prime Minister announced a $100 million funding package for the Urban Cycleways Programme, part of which is going towards the Tauranga and Western Bay of Plenty Urban Cycleway Programme.

The Tauranga urban cycle network comprises 10 commuter routes totalling 150km, and a wider network of recreational connections and routes throughout the Western Bay of Plenty sub-region. The estimated total project cost is $12.4m, and contributors are WBOPDC, TCC, Urban Cycleways Programme, National Land Transport Fund, Tauranga Round Table, NZ Community Trust, TECT and NZTA subsidies.

Peter revealed his sneaky cycleway construction strategy of transporting hessian sacks filled with gravel by bootcamp enthusiasts! Another fascinating tidbit was the use of a Heat Map App to ascertain which are the most and least used trails.

Sergeant-at-arms

Steve was at his dry, ironic best and fined Wayne, Max (pink shirt bullying incident), Rhonda, Tauranga City Council for planning a cycleway on the busiest road to Port of Tauranga, Richard Dawkins (for accepting godlike adulation from his followers), Bill Chapman (Fielding holiday), the joining of two dysfunctional families through the Royal wedding, big retailers for unpaid meetings, all holders of an LLB, corporate focus groups, and his ex-work colleague who illustrated the ultimate way to work smarter not harder.

Parting Thought

Louise – who deserves congratulations on the announcement of her recent appointment as CEO of Kaipara District Council quoted PJ O’Rouke - ‘The budget doesn't have much control over the government. Then again, the government doesn't have much control over the budget.’